The student wing of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s staged a protest in Navi Mumbai against the Mahayuti government’s decision to make Hindi mandatory for school students from the first standard.
Hundreds of protestors waved banners and placards and burnt copies of the government resolution at Vashi in Navi Mumbai, near Mumbai, even as they raised slogans against the state administration, accusing it of attempting to impose a language in a region with a rich linguistic heritage.
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Speaking to media persons on Friday, Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena (MNVS) claimed the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 does not contain any provision mandating Hindi as a compulsory subject.
“This is an unwarranted imposition. Nowhere in the NEP 2020 is there a mention of Hindi being made compulsory,” one of the student leaders said, drawing parallels with Tamil Nadu’s firm resistance to the imposition of Hindi and urging political parties across Maharashtra to unite in protest.
Meanwhile, Prof Narendra Phatak, executive president of the Sahitya Bharati and a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad, said that the Mahayuti government’s move was unjust and burdensome for students.
He said the government’s stand misrepresents the NEP 2020 and undermines the principles of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF).
“This is a unilateral decision that will only fuel resistance against Hindi, which was never an issue in Maharashtra. Unfortunately, such policies allow specific groups to politicise the matter and initiate agitations,” said Prof Phatak.
